JP2007073015A - Non-contact ic tag inlet, non-contact ic tag, and antenna - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a non-contact IC tag excellent in communication performance within a range of a specified size. <P>SOLUTION: As regards the non-contact IC tag inlet which is manufactured by using a technology for joining two metals by ultrasonic vibration via a film and communicates with a radio wave of about 860 to 950MHz, two antennas are arranged within a range of size ±10% of an inch square. The respective antennas are formed in shapes in each of which one line is folded zigzag and a plurality of steps of parallel parts are arranged, and the parallel parts have intervals of 1.0 to 2.5 mm between central lines and the thickness of at least the parallel part of the antenna is 0.5 to 1.0 mm. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a non-contact IC tag inlet, a non-contact IC tag, and an antenna that perform non-contact communication using, for example, UHF band radio waves.

  Conventionally, a non-contact IC tag has been used for the purpose of being attached to an article for management. This non-contact IC tag is provided with an IC chip and an antenna, and data communication can be performed in a non-contact manner using the antenna. Such a non-contact IC tag is provided with a type that communicates with a magnetic field and a type that communicates with radio waves in the UHF band (see Patent Document 1). A non-contact IC tag of a type that communicates using UHF radio waves has a feature that a communication distance is longer than a non-contact IC tag of a type that communicates using a magnetic field.

  Generally, a half-wave dipole antenna is used for a non-contact IC tag of the type that communicates with radio waves in the UHF band. For example, if the frequency band is near 915 MHz and the wavelength is about 330 mm, the line length of the half-wave dipole is about 165 mm. When this line length is shorter than a half wavelength (about 165 cm), the gain (Gain) decreases, the antenna characteristics deteriorate, and the communication distance decreases.

  In order to reduce the antenna size, a meander line obtained by bending a plurality of antennas is used. In this meander line, the antenna length is made longer than the actual width of the antenna by bending the antenna many times.

  On the other hand, in the logistics industry and the like, the tag size that can be attached depends on the article. For this reason, the size of the inlet is defined by the tag size, and a small size such as 1 × 1 inch is required. The inlet refers to an IC chip component for creating a non-contact IC tag, which is composed of an antenna and an IC chip. Tape type TCP inlet, tape type COA inlet, package type URP inlet, etc. is there.

  When an antenna having such a small size and a required line length is created by means of a meander line, the gap between the folded antennas is small and the antennas are densely formed.

  However, it has been discovered that even if the gap between the folded antennas is simply narrowed to increase the line length, good communication characteristics are not always obtained.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-71179

  In view of the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a non-contact IC tag inlet, a non-contact IC tag, and an antenna having good communication performance within a predetermined size range.

  The present invention is a non-contact IC tag inlet that includes an IC chip and two antennas connected to the IC chip, and performs non-contact communication using radio waves in the UHF band of about 860 to 950 MHz. The antenna is arranged within a size range of about ± 10% of 1 inch square, and each line has a shape with a plurality of parallel portions folded back in a zigzag, The distance between the center lines is 1.0 to 2.5 mm, and the thickness of at least the parallel portion of the antenna is 0.5 to 1.0 mm.

  The non-contact IC tag inlet may be configured with an IC chip and an antenna, such as an IC chip connected to a conductive circuit and a slap connected to an antenna, or an IC chip directly connected to an antenna. it can.

As an aspect of the present invention, the thickness of the antenna can be about 0.5 mm.
As an aspect of the present invention, the interval can be about 2.0 mm.
As an aspect of the present invention, the length of the parallel portion of the antenna can be sequentially shortened toward the tip of the antenna.
Moreover, this invention can be set as the non-contact IC tag provided with the said non-contact IC tag inlet.
The non-contact IC tag can be formed in an appropriate shape such as a seal shape, a label shape, a card shape, or a short shape.
In addition, the present invention can be an antenna provided in the non-contact IC tag.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a non-contact IC tag inlet, a non-contact IC tag, and an antenna having good communication performance within a predetermined size range.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, the non-contact IC tag 1 of Example 1 will be described.
1 shows a plan view of the non-contact IC tag 1, FIG. 2 shows a bottom view of the non-contact IC tag 1, FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2, and FIG. BB arrow sectional drawing is shown.

  The non-contact IC tag 1 is made of a transparent PET made of a substantially square sheet 4, and an inlet 6 (see FIG. 3) composed of the antenna unit 3 and the IC module 2 on the sheet 4. It is configured to be sandwiched between the attached top sheet 8 and back sheet 9. The top sheet 8 and the back sheet 9 are formed so as to be slightly larger than the sheet 4 and have a thickness sufficiently thicker than that of the sheet 4 by an appropriate member such as PET or cardboard.

  In the IC module 2, an IC chip (semiconductor bare chip) 11 is mounted on a rectangular sheet-like slap 20, and the IC module 2 is provided with an inclination of 60 degrees in plan view with respect to the substantially square sheet 4.

  For example, the IC chip 11 is generally provided with a storage unit, a resonance circuit, a rectifier circuit, a voltage detection circuit, a control circuit, and a constant voltage circuit inside, and operates with an AC signal, and has an input / output at the bottom. Terminals (bumps) 12 and 12 (see FIG. 4) are provided.

  The slap 20 is made of transparent PET and has a rectangular sheet 21 (see FIGS. 2 to 4), an IC chip 11 on the sheet 21, and a conductive circuit 22.

The conductive circuit 22 is a printed circuit made of aluminum, and the surface (the lower surface in FIG. 3) is covered with an insulating layer 23. The insulating layer 23, the conductive circuit 22, and the sheet 21 are sheet-like members each having a constant thickness.
Terminals 12 and 12 (see FIG. 4) of the IC chip 11 are connected to the conductive circuits 22 and 22 arranged with a certain gap, respectively.

  For mounting the IC chip 11 on the slap 20, for example, an ultrasonic mounting method in which ultrasonic vibration with a vibration frequency of 40 KHz is applied for about 0.5 seconds under a load pressure of 0.2 kg / mm 2 is used. According to this ultrasonic mounting method, the insulating layer 23 formed of the thermoplastic resin film is pushed away by the ultrasonically vibrating terminal 12, and the terminal 12 comes into contact with the conductive circuit 22 as shown in FIG. The terminal 12 is ultrasonically bonded to the conductive circuit 22 by the ultrasonic vibration. When this ultrasonic mounting method is adopted, it is not necessary to perform a process such as heat treatment later, and mounting can be performed in a short time and at low cost.

  This ultrasonic mounting method is called JOMFUL (trademark registration pending as of August 2005) technology (technology for JOining two Metals over Film with ULtrasonic vibration). F) is a technique of joining (JO) by ultrasonic vibration (UL) (Patent No. 3451373).

  The mounting of the IC chip 11 on the slap 20 is not limited to this, and an appropriate mounting method can be adopted.

  The antenna unit 3 includes two meander line antennas 34 and 34 disposed at symmetrical angles of the seat 4, connection units 31 and 31 to which the IC module 2 is connected at the center, and the connection units 31 and 31. The impedance matching circuit 33 is connected.

  A T-matching hole 32 surrounded by the connection portions 31 and 31 and the impedance matching circuit 33 is formed in the approximate center of the antenna portion 3. The impedance matching circuit 33 and the conductive circuit 22 of the IC module 2 form a short loop for impedance matching.

  In addition, meander line antennas 34 and 34 are arranged outside the connection portions 31 and 31 so as to sandwich the connection portions 31 and 31 from both sides. The meander line antenna 34 is a printed circuit board made of a copper member, and its surface (upper surface in FIG. 3) is covered with an insulating layer (not shown).

  The meander line antenna 34 is formed in a zigzag shape by being bent multiple times, and the parallel portions 34a to 34f and the parallel portions 34g to 34k are inclined at the same angle as the IC module 2 with respect to the sheet 4 (this embodiment). Is 60 degrees). The parallel portions 34a to 34f and the parallel portions 34g to 34k of the meander line antenna 34 are formed so as to be sequentially shortened from the base portion (connecting portion 31 side) toward the tip end (parallel portions 34a and 34k side). ing. Further, the meander line antenna 34 is formed with a constant line width from the base to the tip so that the line width (thickness) W is always 0.5 mm. Further, the parallel portions 34a to 34f and the parallel portions 34g to 34k are formed at intervals of 2.0 mm as indicated by the line interval La, and exist between the parallel portions 34a to 34f and the parallel portions 34g to 34k. The gap Lb is 1.5 mm. The distance from the impedance matching circuit 33 to the parallel part 34g and the distance from the connecting parts 31, 31 to the parallel part 34f are formed to be longer than the gap Lb. Further, the two meander line antennas 34 and 34 disposed on both sides of the connecting portions 31 and 31 are formed asymmetrically.

  The antenna portion 3 configured in this way is formed so that the length X of one side (see FIG. 1) is within a range of about ± 10% of 1 inch (about 25.4 mm) square. It is formed in a size that fits inside a square that is 23 mm in the actual mobile phone.

  The IC module 2 is mounted on the connection unit 31 by ultrasonically bonding the conductive circuit 22 of the IC module 2 and the connection unit 31 by the above-described JOMFUL technique. Note that the present invention is not limited to this, and an appropriate mounting method can be adopted.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the thickness of each member constituting the inlet 6 is as follows. From the top, the sheet 21 is about 18 μm, the conductive circuit 22 is about 35 μm, the IC chip 11 is about 100 μm, and the meander line antenna 34 is about 18 μm. The sheet 4 is about 32 μm, and the entire thickness of the IC chip 11 mounting portion is about 203 μm. However, the thickness is not limited to this, and can be formed to an appropriate thickness.

Next, a state where the non-contact IC tag 1 is used for physical distribution or the like will be described.
FIG. 5 shows a situation in which the non-contact IC tag 1 is attached to the article U, and a plurality of articles U (for example, medicinal bottles, etc.) to which the non-contact IC tag 1 is attached are stored in the case K. The top view of is shown. Thus, when the non-contact IC tag 1 is used, the non-contact IC tag 1 is in various states.

  That is, as shown in the perspective view of FIG. 6A, the state α in which the article U exists on the back surface of the non-contact IC tag 1, or as shown in the perspective view of FIG. 6B, the non-contact IC tag 1 There is a state β or the like sandwiched between the articles U.

  When the non-contact IC tag 1 is used in logistics or the like, a so-called bulk lead that performs data communication in a state where a plurality of articles U are stored in the case K is required. Therefore, data communication is required in a situation where the non-contact IC tags 1 in various states such as the state α and the state β described above are mixed. In this embodiment, an object having a dielectric constant of 2 to 3 (such as plastic or paper) is assumed as the article U. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

  Next, the communication performance of the non-contact IC tag 1 of the present embodiment when placed in such a state α or state β will be described.

  First, together with the antenna shape explanatory diagram shown in FIG. 7 and the measured value graph shown in FIG. 8, the difference in communication performance due to the difference in line spacing La will be described with the line width W being constant at 0.5 mm.

  FIG. 7A shows a plan view of a meander line antenna 34A with a line interval La of 0.75 mm. FIG. 7B shows a plan view of a meander line antenna 34B with a line interval La of 3.0 mm.

  8A shows the relationship between the line interval La and the gain in the state α, FIG. 8B shows the relationship between the line interval La and the gain in the state β, and FIG. 8C exists in the air. The relationship between the line interval La and the gain in the state θ to be performed is shown.

  As shown in the graph, the line interval La is effective in the range of about 1.0 mm to about 2.5 mm for the states α to θ, and particularly preferably about 2.0 mm.

  Next, with reference to the antenna shape explanatory diagram shown in FIG. 9 and the actual measurement value graph shown in FIG.

  FIG. 9A shows a plan view of a meander line antenna 34C with a line width W of 0.1 mm. FIG. 9B shows a plan view of a meander line antenna 34D having a line width W of 1.75 mm.

  10A shows the relationship between the line width W and gain in the state α, FIG. 10B shows the relationship between the line width W and gain in the state β, and FIG. 10C exists in the air. The relationship between the line width W and the gain in the state θ to be shown is shown.

  As shown in the graph, the line width W is effective in the range of about 0.5 mm to about 1.0 mm for the states α to θ, and particularly preferably about 0.5 mm.

  As described above, the non-contact IC tag 1 can perform data communication with a reader / writer (not shown) using radio waves in the UHF band of 860 to 950 MHz. In this data communication, good communication performance can be obtained by the shape of the meander line antenna 34 described above.

  In other words, the meander line antenna 34 has a sufficient line interval La to prevent deterioration in communication performance due to coupling between lines, and is formed to have a line width W with good communication performance. Communication performance can be obtained. The degree of improvement in communication performance is about three times that of conventional products, and this effect is exceptional. For this reason, even if the non-contact IC tag 1 is in various states such as the state α and the state β, data communication can be satisfactorily performed.

  Good communication performance can be obtained by setting the line width W to 0.5 to 1.0 mm and the line interval La to 1.0 to 2.5 mm. Particularly, the line width W is set to 0.5 mm and the line interval La is set to By setting the thickness to 2.0 mm, very good communication performance can be obtained in any of the states α, β, and θ.

  In addition, since the size of the non-contact IC tag 1 is smaller than 1 inch square, the non-contact IC tag 1 can be attached to a small article U having an area that can be pasted only about 1 inch. it can. In addition, since the above-described good communication performance can be obtained with this size, even when a large amount of small articles U are stored in the large case K, the reader / writer outside the case K is attached to the articles U in the case K. Data communication can be performed satisfactorily with the pasted non-contact IC tag 1, and so-called bulk reading can be performed well.

  FIG. 11 is a plan view of the non-contact IC tag 1A according to the second embodiment. In the non-contact IC tag 1A, the IC module 2 and the antenna unit 3 are provided with an inclination of 10 degrees with respect to the substantially square sheet 4 in plan view.

  In this case, the meander line antenna 34 is configured such that the length of the parallel portion is the same from the base portion to a certain extent, and the length is gradually reduced from the middle toward the tip.

  This meander line antenna 34 also has the same line width W, line interval La, and gap Lb as in the first embodiment.

Since other configurations are the same as those of the non-contact IC tag 1 of the first embodiment described above, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted.
With the above configuration, the non-contact IC tag 1A can obtain the same effects as those of the first embodiment.

  FIG. 12 is a plan view of the non-contact IC tag 1B according to the third embodiment. In the non-contact IC tag 1B, the IC module 2 and the antenna unit 3 are provided with an inclination of 20 degrees with respect to the substantially square sheet 4 in plan view.

  In this case, the meander line antenna 34 is configured such that the length of the parallel portion is the same from the base portion to a certain extent, and the length is gradually reduced from the middle toward the tip.

  This meander line antenna 34 also has the same line width W, line interval La, and gap Lb as in the first embodiment.

Since other configurations are the same as those of the non-contact IC tag 1 of the first embodiment described above, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.
With the above configuration, the non-contact IC tag 1B can obtain the same effects as those of the first embodiment.

  FIG. 13 is a plan view of the non-contact IC tag 1C according to the fourth embodiment. In the non-contact IC tag 1C, the IC module 2 and the antenna unit 3 are provided with an inclination of 30 degrees with respect to the substantially square sheet 4 in plan view.

  In this case, the meander line antenna 34 is configured such that the length of the parallel portion is gradually shortened from the base portion toward the tip.

  This meander line antenna 34 also has the same line width W, line interval La, and gap Lb as in the first embodiment.

Since other configurations are the same as those of the non-contact IC tag 1 of the first embodiment described above, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted.
With the above configuration, the non-contact IC tag 1C can obtain the same effects as those of the first embodiment.

  FIG. 14 is a plan view of the non-contact IC tag 1D according to the fifth embodiment. In this non-contact IC tag 1D, the IC module 2 and the antenna unit 3 are provided with an inclination of 45 degrees with respect to the substantially square sheet 4 in plan view.

  In this case, the meander line antenna 34 is configured such that the length of the parallel portion is gradually shortened from the base portion toward the tip.

  This meander line antenna 34 also has the same line width W, line interval La, and gap Lb as in the first embodiment.

Since other configurations are the same as those of the non-contact IC tag 1 of the first embodiment described above, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted.
With the above configuration, the non-contact IC tag 1D can obtain the same effects as those of the first embodiment.

  FIG. 15 is a plan view of the non-contact IC tag 1E according to the sixth embodiment. In the non-contact IC tag 1E, the IC module 2 and the antenna unit 3 are provided with an inclination of 70 degrees with respect to the substantially square sheet 4 in plan view.

  In this case, the meander line antenna 34 has a configuration in which the length of the parallel portion is the same from the base portion, and the length is gradually reduced from the base portion toward the tip.

  This meander line antenna 34 also has the same line width W, line interval La, and gap Lb as in the first embodiment.

Since other configurations are the same as those of the non-contact IC tag 1 of the first embodiment described above, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted.
With the above configuration, the non-contact IC tag 1E can obtain the same effects as those of the first embodiment.

  FIG. 16 is a plan view of the non-contact IC tag 1F according to the seventh embodiment. In the non-contact IC tag 1F, the IC module 2 and the antenna unit 3 are provided with an inclination of 80 degrees with respect to the substantially square sheet 4 in plan view.

  In this case, the meander line antenna 34 is configured such that the length of the parallel portion is the same from the base portion to a certain extent, and the length is gradually reduced from the middle toward the tip.

  This meander line antenna 34 also has the same line width W, line interval La, and gap Lb as in the first embodiment.

Since other configurations are the same as those of the non-contact IC tag 1 of the first embodiment described above, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted.
With the above configuration, the non-contact IC tag 1F can obtain the same effects as those of the first embodiment.

  FIG. 17 is a plan view of the non-contact IC tag 1G according to the eighth embodiment. This non-contact IC tag 1G is one in which the IC module 2 and the antenna unit 3 are provided at 0 degree in plan view with respect to the substantially square sheet 4, that is, provided without being inclined.

  In this case, the meander line antenna 34 is configured such that the length of the parallel portion is the same from the base portion toward the tip.

  This meander line antenna 34 also has the same line width W, line interval La, and gap Lb as in the first embodiment.

Since other configurations are the same as those of the non-contact IC tag 1 of the first embodiment described above, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted.
With the above configuration, the non-contact IC tag 1G can obtain the same effects as those of the first embodiment.

  In the first to seventh embodiments described above, the lengths of the parallel portions 34a to 34f and the parallel portions 34g to 34k (see FIG. 1) of the meander line antenna 34 are formed so as to be sequentially shortened toward the tip of the antenna. Therefore, better communication performance can be obtained than in the eighth embodiment in which the parallel portions 34a to 34f and the parallel portions 34g to 34k are all formed with the same length.

  In each of the above embodiments, the IC chip 11 is connected to the connection part 31 of the antenna unit 3 via the slap 20, but the terminal 12 of the IC chip 11 may be directly connected to the connection part 31. Even in this case, the communication performance by the meander line antenna 34 can be obtained.

  Moreover, although the size of the antenna unit 3 is formed so as to fit within a square having a side length of 23 mm, it may be formed in other sizes that fit within a size of 1 inch square.

  In addition, the folded portion of the meander line antenna 34 is formed in a bent shape with a corner, but may be formed in a curved shape with chamfered rounded corners. Even in this case, since the line width W and the line interval La are substantially the same, substantially the same communication performance can be obtained.

In correspondence between the configuration of the present invention and the above-described embodiment,
The non-contact IC tag inlet of the present invention corresponds to the inlet 6 of the embodiment,
Similarly,
The antenna corresponds to the meander line antenna 34,
The parallel portions correspond to the parallel portions 34a to 34f and the parallel portions 34g to 34k,
The antenna tip corresponds to the parallel parts 34a, 34k,
The thickness of the antenna corresponds to the line width W,
The interval corresponds to the line interval La,
The present invention is not limited only to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, and many embodiments can be obtained.

The top view of a non-contact IC tag. The bottom view of a non-contact IC tag. AA arrow sectional drawing of a non-contact IC tag. BB arrow sectional drawing of a non-contact IC tag. The top view which shows the use condition of a non-contact IC tag. Explanatory drawing which shows the article | item with which the non-contact IC tag was affixed with a perspective view. An explanatory view of an antenna shape. The graph figure of measured value. An explanatory view of an antenna shape. The graph figure of measured value. The top view of the non-contact IC tag of Example 2. FIG. FIG. 6 is a plan view of a non-contact IC tag according to Embodiment 3. The top view of the non-contact IC tag of Example 4. FIG. FIG. 6 is a plan view of a non-contact IC tag according to Embodiment 5. The top view of the non-contact IC tag of Example 6. FIG. The top view of the non-contact IC tag of Example 7. FIG. FIG. 10 is a plan view of a non-contact IC tag according to an eighth embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,1C-1G ... Non-contact IC tag 6 ... Inlet 11 ... IC chip 34 ... Meander line antenna 34a-34f, 34g-34k ... Parallel part W ... Line width La ... Line space | interval

Claims (6)

An IC chip inlet provided with an IC chip and two antennas connected to the IC chip, which communicates in a non-contact manner using radio waves in the UHF band of about 860 to 950 MHz,
The two antennas are disposed within a size range of about ± 10% of 1 inch square, and each antenna has a shape in which a single line is folded back in a zigzag and includes a plurality of parallel portions. ,
The parallel portion has a distance between centerlines of 1.0 to 2.5 mm,
A non-contact IC tag inlet in which at least the parallel part of the antenna has a thickness of 0.5 to 1.0 mm. The contactless IC tag inlet according to claim 1, wherein the antenna has a thickness of about 0.5 mm. The non-contact IC tag inlet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the interval is about 2.0 mm. The non-contact IC tag inlet according to claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein the length of the parallel portion of the antenna is sequentially shortened toward the tip of the antenna. The non-contact IC tag provided with the non-contact IC tag inlet as described in any one of Claim 1 to 4. The antenna provided in the non-contact IC tag inlet as described in any one of Claim 1 to 4.

Images